October 19, 2023 • 34 mins
Get ready to join Angie Martinez for another incredible journey as she kicks off the new season of the Angie Martinez IRL Podcast. This season begins with a bang, with the first-ever live IRL podcast coming straight from Compound's vibrant atmosphere in Red Hook, Brooklyn. In this special episode, Angie welcomes the remarkable sports agent and, entrepreneur, and founder of Klutch Sports Group, Rich Paul. He's here to share his incredible life story, experiences, and deep insights from his New York Times Best Selling book, "Lucky Me." Rich Paul's book isn't just a best-seller; it's a window into his soul. Angie and Rich delve into the moments that truly stood out in his life, exploring the profound connections and raw emotions that made him the extraordinary person he is today.
As Angie and Rich engage in an intimate conversation, they touch on the deeply personal aspects of his life, like his relationship with his mother and the battle she fought against addiction. They also delve into his relationship with his father, his lifelong hero, and the superpower he gained from him – the ability to predict what people need, a trait that would shape his destiny. Rich also discusses his early life as a born hustler and gambler. He shares the invaluable lessons he learned on the streets and in the world of gambling, which later became the foundation for his incredible success in life, betting on himself, his players, and his fortune. You'll discover how every lesson life threw at Rich was a gift, not just for himself but to uplift those around him. Tune in to Angie Martinez IRL Podcast for an unforgettable and heartwarming conversation with Rich Paul. His story is one of resilience and success, emphasizing how challenges can be gifts for personal growth. It's a season opener you won't want to miss!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This episode end conversation is powered by I do say this.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Is my first Live IRL podcast, which is really exciting,
so thank you guys. It was the amazing Rich Paul.
I get to hand Rich Paul my first gift. So
I know some of you in the room, I'm pretty
familiar with the pie. But you know, the attention of
the podcast is always about you know. I really believe
that the things that we learn in our lives, and
(00:24):
all the lessons in our lives really are given to
us as gifts to learn more about ourselves, but also
to inform and to lift people up.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
So lucky me is here now. Lebron wrote the opening.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
He said, it's amazing to see my brother in full
stride and for everyone else to see what I always
saw in him. So when you flip through these pages
and you witness the kind of pain that we felt
growing up, don't flinch hard times make us stronger. That
really kind of defined why you wrote this book, Is
that right?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
I wanted to write something with intent. There's an education
in learning through other people's experiences. And I know for
a fact everybody in this room, but just anywhere you're
going to align with a sentence a chapter, a page,
something something, if not several for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Like what was the hardest and most I don't know
vulnerable part.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I think just getting to my mom and her struggles.
You know, that's tough and I lost both my parents,
but having to relive that time, because you know, when
you're a kid, it's hard enough.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah. And I had built this this wall because.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I you know, I would go six seven months without
seeing my mom and it was a thing where that's tough,
and it was a thing where I had to get
used to. There's no such thing as a parent teacher
conference or my games or be the mom to take
the kids to practice Christmas Birthday.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That didn't exist for me. So were you a sad kid? No?
I wasn't a sad kid because I wasn't really a kid.
I was a hustle I was at five.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
No, something that just sad with me. In One of
the takeaways is the way that you talk about your parents, right,
because there are a lot of struggles. There is dysfunction,
there is drug addiction. You talk very openly and honestly
about your mother's struggling with crack addiction, but you talk
about that is not the headline the way it feels
you talk about them with so much admiration and love,
(02:20):
and even though you didn't live with your dad because
he had a whole other family, right, I don't know,
there could have been a lot of anger and sadness,
and the way you describe them, and it was a
lot of love and a lot of forgiveness.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
It feels like from the way you tell the story.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, well, my dad was my hero, so that was that.
You know, he was just such a man's man. I
had such an admiration and respect for him, and he
was present. Sometimes you can be present and not be present,
but sometimes you can not necessarily be in the house
but still be present.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But one thing my dad did too, for all of us.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
He sat us down and he said, your mom is sick.
He didn't call her an attic. He says she has
a sickness. And he said, but despite that, don't ever
let me catch you disrespecting her in any way. And
he meant this, but that never even crossed my mind,
(03:19):
but it helped me put things in perspective that you know,
it is a sickness. So when you talk about not
having that anger, I didn't have that anger because I
didn't feel like she was neglecting me because she wanted
to neglect me.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
She was sick.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
And over time, when my mom did did clean out
and I started traveling, the one thing that would while
I'm on the road. The only thing that was tough
for me was back home, you know, whether my mom
relapsed or something, and just getting that call in the
middle of the night. And so I wouldn't get much
(03:56):
sleep on the road, especially when I first started, because
you know, you on the road and you know you're
trying to get clients or whatnot.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
And so I dealt with those type of things.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
And then there was a as I started to plan
out things a little bit more. We would take vacations
and go to Vegas every year. She would bring the grandkids.
You know, we did things, and it was great because
I was at when my mom passed away.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Actually I was at peace.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
We think about so, you know, in real life and
the podcast we talk about we think about all the
takeaways that we learn from other people's lives, and so
hearing about your family life and your mom and your dad,
how did you cause it's really amazing that there was
no anger and that you used all those opportunities to
learn from, become stronger, become better. There was nothing that
weighed you down, But most people have less traumatic circumstances,
(04:46):
are weighed down by family trauma, by disappointment, whatever. There's
all types of reasons or issues that we have in
our families. What is the thing like, how do you
do that? What is the thing that gets you you?
I don't know that spares you from that and that
makes you fuse it as fuel instead of something that
could weigh you down.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I'm not really a well you know, I'm not really
a disappointed person. It's hard. I mean, I'm just yeah,
I'm just like to have good energy.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I've never been like A'm not a complainer.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
No, I don't complain about anything that's raining for what. No,
we'll try what's try it? Right now, I'm complain about
something I can't. I don't know what you can playing?
Can you? Nothing? Really?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Outside of my new assistant, I'm saying, like, I complain
about some of his mistakes sometimes.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
But he's getting better.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
He's getting better, Guys, I don't want to don't be
too hard on him, but I don't really complain about
that either.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I just you know, I just you even said he's
getting better in the process. You're a positive guy.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
A lot of it also came from I didn't have
nobody to complain too. Uh, you know, my dad wasn't
really nobody to complain to it. He'd be like boy
like and then you know my mom wasn't there, so
I'm going to really complain to So I just built this,
built this over time.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
And then what has complaining ever actually solved.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
That's funny because I was just gonna be about to
ask you about this part in the book you talk
about what the streets taught you, and that the streets
taught you. You mentioned this earlier too, and you said this
in sixty minutes, that it taught you about people and characters,
And so I was curious about what it taught you
like about character and is there I don't know, there
are red flags and characters that you look for.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Flags like what.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Insecurity I think people I think in our business, at least,
if someone is too focused on what's only in it
for them, or again going back to how you treat people,
if you're not respecting people that are basically making your
(07:01):
life easier, that's a character flaw. And by the way,
the more successful you become, the better person you should
become too. You got to work on that as well. Like,
if you're going to be successful, be successful in everything.
I just think that just because you get paid a
lot of money and you are a top athlete, don't
(07:22):
mean you get to be less of a person. Yes,
And I think that oftentimes the people around a lot
of the people that we do represent, they're so focused
on what's in it for them that they paint a
picture that becomes detrimental to somebody that they supposed to love.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Don't you think people get addicted to winning too. They
get addicted to success, addicted to so you become successful,
your agency is doing well, then it's like how do
we make it? There is like an addiction that comes
with that to some extent, and some people, I think
then disregard, like you say, all the things that you
care about you're trying to be better at.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Never, I've never sat in success at all because again,
when you read the book, our neighborhood didn't allow us
to get cocky, because if you get cocky, then you
then then people start to notice you. And when people
started to notice you, then they start to to plot.
(08:21):
It's a different dynamic, so I never came with that.
It's just not it's just not in me. I mean,
you may be mad at the leather jacket. I got
onto something that you know, wear some jackets. That's but
that's not definitely you know what I'm saying. Like, so
someone else's perception is not my reality. So I can't
worry about that.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
But the book, first of all, Lucky Me, which is
inspired by this jay Z.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Song, my favorite Jazus. If what is the bar from
there that makes it the hook is?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I mean, the third verse is crazy. The bar, I
mean it's it's I don't know if it's a if
it's a bar. One bar, the one where he goes,
you know guys, he say niggas, niggas see me in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Sorry, Johnny, I love you, but sorry, you're disrupting my
energy right now. Yeah, fall back Johnny the legend, Ny,
But you're not gonna come in here, Johnny, be in
siut of your Johnny being out of your hoodie to
get the right picture, though, I ain't gonna front all right.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Right, let's get the picture. Let me act like you
tell you saying something real because you just but it
was it was very important.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
When he says, niggas see me in the streets and
pretend to be friendly. But I know any type of
success breeze envy. I know in the back of your
mind you're conjuring ways to hend me leave my friends
in the circle pouring out Henny, you know, like when
you dissect that. But Jesus is heaven bound, So how
I'm gonna receive anything? Y'all portray the ground next time,
throw it up, because ain't nothing changed, because even in
(09:55):
my afterlife I saw it up.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Don't grieve for me.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
You know he talks about and he said, as my
art remains like a dark from the speaker to your heart.
Like if you just listen to those bars, that wasn't
what was that ninety seven, We're in twenty twenty three.
It still resonates. But the hook in itself is what
really resonated.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I was told since I was four years old, everything
that glitters ain't God. And now that I've arrived, I
see those true. Some folks close my eyes in the
world so cold, like that's that's real all that's that's
not rapping, that is real life And that's what the
music used to teach us.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So, but I was also being.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Very sarcastic too with the title, because some idiots think, like,
you know, you just meet a guy in the airport
and you build a company because you met somebody in
the airport.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
It don't really work like that.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, I'm sure he's met a lot of friends over
his life, right, I don't have to you.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Have, but I think, you know, just managing the transitions
of life. People have to understand that. To me, life
is all about bad attempts. You know, you're not gonna
hit a home run every time, but you're not even
gonna get on base if you don't get an attempt.
And I think people spend time making decisions for others
(11:13):
that takes away their bad attempts.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
And so.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
If I can't, if I don't get an attempt at
the play, and how am I going to ever get
on base?
Speaker 1 (11:22):
You can for that no attempt Oh oh.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Yeah, oh hell yeah, yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah, But again,
he gave me an opportunity to get up to bat.
I didn't try to hit a home run, by the way,
I didn't even get a chance to back. I was
just happened to be on the team because he didn't
have a role for me. I didn't have no role.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
That's crazy. And he was cutting you in check too,
he's paying you right.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Yeah, I didn't have a role, but it didn't stop
me from playing a role. It didn't stop me because
I knew who I was. I was I was, you know,
And my dad used to always say to me, You're
not gonna always be the boss, Like you gotta understand.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
You're not gonna always be the boss.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And then when I played high school sports, I wasn't
the best player on the team by far, but it
didn't stop me from going to practice every day on time,
giving an effort, helping my teammates get better. It didn't
stop That didn't stop me because once we got out
of that locker room, then I was a start player.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
What's the one thing? The big thing? The big thing? Fight?
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Like everyone has to make a sacrifice in order for
the team to win. Right when the college scouts was coming,
I didn't get I didn't complain because they're not coming this.
I know they're not coming to see me. I ain't
played in six games. They come to see me, then
they gonna they gonna have this job for long, you know.
But but at the end, but I'm also not afraid
(12:52):
to say that right because I know who I am.
But ultimately, you got to know when to jump off
that that that dream train, especially if that dream could
never become a reality. There's a lot of kids chasing
that dream of being the actual talent. And in the
black community, we spend so much time trying to be
the talent that we never build anything.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
A lot of this book, asides from the title and
being inspired by this jay Z song, you talk about
gambling a lot like.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
You're a gamble boring gambling. You are a born gambler.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
That's my first job as was a gambler, shooting dice,
playing cards.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
You have a deck of cards. I shuffled cars, I
got work at the wind.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
If I knew that, if somebody was a real hustler,
they would run to the store right now and get
a deck of you would have them all.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
You would know that. And if I never went nowhere
without my dice or deck of cards, deccor car ever,
So what is the key to good gambling? Is there one.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
New addition made the best song? You gotta be able
to stand the ring. They did you gotta be because
you gotta lose sometimes it's part of the part of that.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Is a mental thing. You know.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Sometimes you can shit a card table and and every
person at that table would be winning in some point
during the card game. It's just a matter of when
you're winning and when the game actually is to determine
the actual winner. Yeah, but it's a it's a mindset,
it's a it's definitely a mental edge to it, for sure.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
The interesting thing I thought about because you go into
detail about this deal, your first big deal, which was bled,
so when you turned down the first big offer that game,
and so he you know he is, how old was he?
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Twenty four? Twenty three, twenty four?
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yes, that wasn't Oh yeah, he wasn't that he was.
He came out when he was nineteen.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
That was its four for years. Oh yeah, yeah, twenty three. Okay,
I read the book. It was like twenty three years old.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, I believe he says twenty four in the book,
but you know, I'm not gonna fact check him.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Well, sixty minutes definitely fact checked, so it might be
twenty four. It was twenty four, So he's twenty four
years old. He gets this big deal. He tells him
the deal came in. He's he's excited.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
He's like, yes, there's you're twenty four and what was
the seven million a year in million years?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Yes, let's take it. And you said, no, let's not
take it. Let's gamble because I believe you should get
what you're worth. That this is a gamble with But
now you're gambling with someone with someone else's life.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
But the thing about it is if you make it
about the money, then it's a gamble. But if you
make it about your value and your worth, then it's
not necessarily a gamble. But I can't get there, and
he doesn't get there without trust. He trusts me, I
trust him. Anyway, that story worked out well for you,
(15:40):
business right, And people don't understand that deal got the
industry's attention in a lot of ways. And because of
the perception of Eric Blessol. He was eighteenth pick in
the draft. He had really never been a starter. And
one thing you leave it out when I talked to
him about risk, the only risks that I was really
(16:03):
worried about was him getting injured.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
And he did, and.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
You're at home thinking, what fuck, that's the last thing
I needed, and he towards meniscus.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
But I'm gonna tell you something we never panied.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
You tell a story about your child's mother, Candice, and
you say that you didn't even know how to really
be in a relationship but love. You said, like, my
dad took care of my mom. I thought if I
took care of her that that was enough. I didn't
understand that there's other work involved in a relationship.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
He didn't know how to be in a relationship.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
No, we were, I mean we were definitely taught wrong
as it pertains to how to love somebody, a significant other.
And also you gotta remember you could be in our community,
not have a car, not have money, but date a
lot of girls and that was like a status thing.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
That was like having a car.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That was like, oh well Hill got a car, but
he got a lot of girls he can dress or
whatever the case may be. And so that became a
goal for people, which is actually working backwards because you're
not necessarily committing. That's why people have commitment issues to
this day, because you're not necessarily committing to the person,
(17:18):
and then you're.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Giving them a little piece of you, just a little bit.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah, but also you're Also there's a there's an aspect
of taking advantage of too, because what they lack you
you now have an abundance because there's this fast paced thing.
So you know, the goals were so small back then.
Hair down your hair costs. You know, you're getting a
quick weave with a bang and the thing and they
(17:44):
put it in the microwave or some shit.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
You know, but but that.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Costs you seventy dollars pay for that.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
This is you thinking you're taking care of women, you.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Know.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Bo when snow comes you realize that was wrong. And
who taught you that? I don't lie.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
I mean, I'm just I'm still learning a lot, but
but no, I just but you know, growing up it
was a thing.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
And I've seen that, you know, throughout and so.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Yeah, and then on top of not being vulnerable, it's
hard to love somebody you're not gonna be vulnerable.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You can't put this wall up every time.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
It's very difficult for you guys to really because you
can be compatible and not committed, and you can be
you know, you can love somebody and not be in
love with them.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
It's you know, it's a big difference.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
And so I had to learn I had to feel
my way through that and as you know, as you
and also there's a maturation process for a man as well,
which men mature very late, if at all.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And you know, if.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Ever, what's the age the audience wants to know, what's
the age that they mature?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Depend on your.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
You know, I'm just saying in terms of like holistically,
you know, it's tough. We deal with a lot. Y'all
think y'all are the only ones that deal with a lot.
We do it a lot too.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Oh please, I'm just saying, I'm just kidding. We do know.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
But today obviously I sit in a different seat of
having kids and you know, just and you're in a relationship. Oh,
I'm definitely in a relationship. Yeah, but I'm saying being respectful. Yeah, no,
have different it's just a different different. But I'm also
forty two years old.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
And the vulnerability, how does that happen? Like do you
just one day think okay? Or does somebody have to
bring that out of you? How does that happen gradually?
That's that's something that.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Are you good at that now or you're still struggling?
Speaker 3 (19:44):
No, I'm a lot better okay, Yeah, I'm better with
a lot of the communication.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I'm better with everything better for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Yeah, well I also had to be open minded to
become better.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
The only the thing I'm curious about it because in
your relationship it was share. Adelle shared with Oprah that
this was a very easy one, and so I just wondered,
from your perspective, how do you get there? How do
you get to be in a relationship that's easy?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Well, I think because I'm in a different space now, yeah,
probably because she's in a different space. Well, so I
think the easiness comes through experience. Though he was experienced
enough hard things than you can recognize easy.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
And willing to change right to some extent.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
She said in her Grammys that you told her not
to cry, and I thought, why, why? What is with
the crying? Is that something that you don't like to do?
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Why did you tell her not to cry? And are
you a person that doesn't like to cry or doesn't
like crying around you?
Speaker 4 (20:41):
No?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
I actually cried last night. You did the first time
in like a long time. Wow, something that's non you know,
happy sixteen minutes it was happy. Yeah, my friends had
a speech and I got emotional for us, not for me.
I got emotional to you. Yeah, I got emotional form.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
You know, just a journey, just a journey. It was.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It was it was not like a like boohoo, but
it was just it was. But it was just more
so like there is you know that emotion was It
was a good emotion, right. And that's another thing is
I think it's good to be emotional sometimes.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Look at you crying in front of friends of public.
It was a small room.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
It was a small room, so crying publicly would be
would be probably you don't like to see that because
you said you told her when she went up there,
she said, rich told me not to cry if I want.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Oh, no, that that's because you just cry about every Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
That's really cute. That's really cute.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
It's like a cat walking like what the.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
What is? Sometimes we're more sensitive as women sometimes.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Everything and you accomplished and been through. It's a smart question.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Do you feel a whole at what point in your
life did you real.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
M that's the one part question. No, I don't feel whole.
I feel I have a lot. It's a great question.
The way it is a great question. I have so much.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I haven't done a lot, you know in retrospect, so
at least I don't feel that way. I feel like
it's so much room for growth. But in terms of
do I feel whole, No, I don't. I don't necessarily
feel whole. Do I feel inspired and driven still and
(22:35):
still in the moment? Yeah, I'm still in the moment
for sure.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
When if you grew out of the environce that you
grew correct, what did you do in order to stay
motivated with all the chaos that was kind of going
around in your life?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Like what was it?
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And it was like, Okay, I'm going to stay motivated
and continue to thrive to success.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
What would you What did you do?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
I stayed true to myself, you know, I didn't try
to fit in for the sake of fitting in. I
found people that we had like minded interests, but also
had some sense with the interest, you know, just playing
common sense and kind of I had great friends growing
I didn't really hang with like slept rock type of people,
(23:18):
and it helped me. It really helped me not fully
block out the noise because it's right in your face.
But we also didn't do stuff just for the sake
of doing it, if that makes sense, And so I
was always into sports. I was always in the fashion
I was always I wasn't a real raw ride type
of person. I'm still not that, and so because of
(23:39):
that and in a lot of ways, it saved me
from situations. So definitely one hundred percent. Yeah, the same
by the way, the same people then, it's the same
people now, at least the ones that's still here.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yeah, I always say that. I always say that to
my kids too. The wrong people we talked about that
in the poddle of time. The wrong people in your
circle could literally be the difference in your life, could
literally ruin your life.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Or a lot of it comes with you knowing who
you are too and not feeling the need to have
to impress somebody or or gain somebody else's well I
would I would say, they're they're validation. And if you
look back on it, the people a lot of people
look for people's validation and they're not even valid.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Yeah, especially at this time, it's a weird thing.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I'm like, why would you be looking for their validation
and their ticket isn't even punch Like it's a weird dynamic.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
But whatever. Oh yeah, we asked that every episode. Thank
you for the reminder my love. Oh how happy? I'm honest. No,
we do this every episode.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Usually it's my introduction to conversation because it opens up
why your number is what it is. But on the
scale of one to ten, because we use this as
a check in, I said, hey, man, how are you?
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I'm fine.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Instead of that, you ask your friends or you ask
people you care about on a scale of one to ten. Today,
right now, how happy are you? I asked Evan that
when I walked in today, you told me what today?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
You are seven?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Seven and a half today I said I was six
because I was annoyed. No, I'm definitely up to eight
and a half nine now Rich has lifted me up today.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Yeah, I would say. I would say a nine.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Really, yeah, And the only reason why I'm not at
ten is because there's so many you know, I'm just
a driven person. So I would sound crazy to myself
and I'm like, oh, just then I would be whole,
like he's said. Never then I would be contradicting myself.
So that lets you know I'm not condicting myself. No,
(25:43):
I would say a nine. I'm in a great space, like.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
All day or just or just today or always all day? Yeah, always.
Is that a constant state for you? Nine? No, can't
be a nine constant thing like holistically, like every day
you're at a nine of I'm happy.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
Today at some point in time. Yeah, yeah, I mean
it might dip depending on what happened somebody, you know.
But but I don't really let people interfare with my happiness.
I worked too hard to get here. I should I did.
Yeah nine wow, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Mean, but don't get me wrong, I'm human.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
So if it could dip to like, it's not dipping
past six, but I'll play within that six to nine space.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Now. I do get pissed off that dumb ship. You know.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
That's the only thing that really really pisses me off.
Everything else is pretty motivated. But like when you do,
it's like, yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Not myself doing today? Yeah, not that for you? Yeah, true? Sorry,
what do.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
We got more rushes I have to pick up? No,
we could do it after it's blast. We could do
like two more.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
I'm gonna sign the books too, if it's oh amazing.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Yeah, Hi, sure, it's a small intimate room.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
You don't need to.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Mic thanks for being here, my name even pay you
all mess. I want to know what.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Is your morning?
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Routine or some spiritual practices or tangible tactics that we
can use implement in our daily lives to just keep
us sustaining that motivation.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
And moments move forward.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Well, I have a new morning routine. It's a new
morning routine, not my workout. I work out every morning.
I get up very early, though, like five in the morning.
I get up at like five, yeah, sometimes four thirty.
Between four thirty and five, I get up, but I
work out at seven thirty. And then of late, I
get into sunda, as my friend Bob would say, sauna,
(27:58):
and then I get in the cold, which I just
started doing that. I wouldn't necessarily say, jump right into that.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
That's tough. I did. I did. I was at vv's house.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
I did thirty four degrees two twenty eight in asana
and thirty four degrees in the cold. It was what
it does for man ouch. No, I'm saying, yeah, that
is that was that was crazy. It's not that and
my house is not that cold like that. But that
was some That was crazy. But but I did it though,
(28:31):
and I didn't think I was going to do it.
But it just tells you how strong the mind is.
And by the turn. The third time, I because we
did this three times hot cold hot. By the third time,
I was put my whole face in it at thirty
four degrees.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
So that was really but.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
I felt amazing, So I started I kept doing it,
so I do do that, and then after that is
zoom nation.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
After that it's not zoom nation.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
Everything is a damn zoom sure, And you know, in
a good way. And we had a lot of internal
meetings and you you know you have.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
I was gonna ask you something about what she said
about that, because you talk about discipline a lot in
the book too. What is the Is there something in
your head that because we all tell ourselves things. What
is the story we tell ourselves to get whatever done?
When you when you're managing that discipline that you have,
is there something that you tell yourself? Is there a
trick to the discipline?
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Is there? Well?
Speaker 3 (29:23):
When I when I used to so the discipline really
comes from dice shooting, like.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
I was looking for my son thing my son to
take away. It's not I wasn't. That's what I'm gonna
get to it though.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
It's like so I used to practice the same shot
over and over and it's no different than somebody be
in the backyard going hi or three two one and
he hits the shot. I did that with dice, just
over and over and over again. If I got on
punishment didn't matter. I would just practice more and whatever.
And then it led to obviously, you know, I did
(29:59):
the same thing jump shooting. The discipline also comes within
the willingness too, because you have to be willing to
be disciplined or to discipline yourself, and then you and
then you just compound those habits and if you practice
doing things the right way, they become routine.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
I just think the words sometimes the words we tell
ourselves help us, like if I'm off track, like you say,
off my square, yeah, sometimes, or if I if things
are not going right, I'll tell myself, uh, you're maybe
you're doing it for yourself too much.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Maybe maybe how do you put it out? How do
you put that energy outword? How do you serve?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
How do you so I'll take it out of the ego,
take it out of coming inside for me, like something
that I want, I want that, I want that to
be mine. I want to conquer that, and then it
doesn't happen. Then what do you tell yourself to keep going.
The thing sometimes I tell myself to keep going is
it's not about you get out the way, because you.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Know what I mean, there's no room for complacency. I
try not to ever get complacent ever.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
That's good. Yeah, good practices, and you've implemented.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
For your thing.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
No, I've been trying to meditate a little bit here. Yeah,
I did a few times. It was actually good. No phone,
no nothing, just no TV on or nothing, just for
like twenty minutes to start today. I've done that a
few times.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
It's good.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Works out, okay. I mean, you know, it's just hard
to do all the time.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
But it was good. Good, it was good. It's good.
I should try. I'm gonna try more often. It's gotta
be good. There's nothing that bad that could come out
of that.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
And I'm just saying, but there's something you could do,
like you know, yeah, it's just like a word and
you just yeah, but it was good. Oh my god,
I don't know why I had to start. Is CJ
still here?
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Can I tell this story about us being at that
house the other day and him telling us the thing
that you that he gave you. You know what I'm
talking about can I share that? It would be weird
if you said no. Right, I'm putting on the spot.
I took young CJ. Here.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
This is CJ.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Wallace, Christopher wall Okay, we're in Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Home, you know what I mean? G forever in Brooklyn.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
So we were having a conversation with somebody and he
was asking him about what he wanted to do. We
were talking to Tracy Morgan because he's acting. Also he's
actually a really good actor. Anybody has a lot of
things he wants to do. So Tracy Morgan asked him,
so what do you so, what do you want to do?
He's like, oh, this fashion and art, I'm doing art
and I got the acting and I got you ran
down like ten things Tracy.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
You know, Tracey is crazy in a good way. He
was like, you can't do all that shit.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
You gotta do one thing and master that and then
you could go do whatever else you want to do.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
But what are you gonna master? You got to pick
the one thing to master it. And I don't know
if you needed to hear that, but when he said
it to you, it resonated for me. I was like,
oh shit, that's actually really good because.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
That was also said to me, was it yeah, this
might have been Was it Tracy Morgan?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Was that it kid?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
No, it was Maverick said it to me. It might
have been two thousand and six. He was like, bro,
you good at every you one person. I know that
you're good at every literally good at everything. But you
got to pick one thing and you will be great
at that mm because we was we was doing our
new offices in Cleveland or something, and we just you know,
we talk all the time, and we lived together.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
We talked even to this day. We talk all the time.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
But he said that to me because you know, I
was coming in and used to hustling.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
So you're doing it all. We get all.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
I mean if you yeah, why not you know. And
so he's like, yeah, but pick be great at something.
If you if you chose one thing, you would be.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Great at it. That's what he said to me. So
he was right, and so I took that.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
And but you know, again you talk about having real friends,
you know, And it was his willingness to say it
and my willingness to be open minded and not so
into myself to listen.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
And that's the approach I took.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Bar Well, you got greatness. And you were saying before
you wanted to uh impact. Yeah, I feel like the
book will impact. I feel the RUP was impacted today
but was great.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Sure. Thank you guys so much for everything, for your time.
You appreciate me. You have a sharp You're gonna sign
some books. Yeah, I'm just gonna sign it right here.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Really, guys, really be on today though. I really encourage
you to take time. I know we all have busy lives,
but don't just have the book on your shelf.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Really read it.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
There's a lot of gems in there. There's a lot
of takeaways. It's a beautiful story. And thank you rich
today so much for I appreciate we couldn't you know what,
we actually could have done a podcast because have been dope.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Now I'm not now, I'm not afraid. We talked about
it later
This episode end conversation is powered by I do say this.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Is my first Live IRL podcast, which is really exciting,
so thank you guys. It was the amazing Rich Paul.
I get to hand Rich Paul my first gift. So
I know some of you in the room, I'm pretty
familiar with the pie. But you know, the attention of
the podcast is always about you know. I really believe
that the things that we learn in our lives, and
(00:24):
all the lessons in our lives really are given to
us as gifts to learn more about ourselves, but also
to inform and to lift people up.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
So lucky me is here now. Lebron wrote the opening.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
He said, it's amazing to see my brother in full
stride and for everyone else to see what I always
saw in him. So when you flip through these pages
and you witness the kind of pain that we felt
growing up, don't flinch hard times make us stronger. That
really kind of defined why you wrote this book, Is
that right?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
I wanted to write something with intent. There's an education
in learning through other people's experiences. And I know for
a fact everybody in this room, but just anywhere you're
going to align with a sentence a chapter, a page,
something something, if not several for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Like what was the hardest and most I don't know
vulnerable part.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I think just getting to my mom and her struggles.
You know, that's tough and I lost both my parents,
but having to relive that time, because you know, when
you're a kid, it's hard enough.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah. And I had built this this wall because.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I you know, I would go six seven months without
seeing my mom and it was a thing where that's tough,
and it was a thing where I had to get
used to. There's no such thing as a parent teacher
conference or my games or be the mom to take
the kids to practice Christmas Birthday.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That didn't exist for me. So were you a sad kid? No?
I wasn't a sad kid because I wasn't really a kid.
I was a hustle I was at five.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
No, something that just sad with me. In One of
the takeaways is the way that you talk about your parents, right,
because there are a lot of struggles. There is dysfunction,
there is drug addiction. You talk very openly and honestly
about your mother's struggling with crack addiction, but you talk
about that is not the headline the way it feels
you talk about them with so much admiration and love,
(02:20):
and even though you didn't live with your dad because
he had a whole other family, right, I don't know,
there could have been a lot of anger and sadness,
and the way you describe them, and it was a
lot of love and a lot of forgiveness.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
It feels like from the way you tell the story.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, well, my dad was my hero, so that was that.
You know, he was just such a man's man. I
had such an admiration and respect for him, and he
was present. Sometimes you can be present and not be present,
but sometimes you can not necessarily be in the house
but still be present.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But one thing my dad did too, for all of us.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
He sat us down and he said, your mom is sick.
He didn't call her an attic. He says she has
a sickness. And he said, but despite that, don't ever
let me catch you disrespecting her in any way. And
he meant this, but that never even crossed my mind,
(03:19):
but it helped me put things in perspective that you know,
it is a sickness. So when you talk about not
having that anger, I didn't have that anger because I
didn't feel like she was neglecting me because she wanted
to neglect me.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
She was sick.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
And over time, when my mom did did clean out
and I started traveling, the one thing that would while
I'm on the road. The only thing that was tough
for me was back home, you know, whether my mom
relapsed or something, and just getting that call in the
middle of the night. And so I wouldn't get much
(03:56):
sleep on the road, especially when I first started, because
you know, you on the road and you know you're
trying to get clients or whatnot.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
And so I dealt with those type of things.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
And then there was a as I started to plan
out things a little bit more. We would take vacations
and go to Vegas every year. She would bring the grandkids.
You know, we did things, and it was great because
I was at when my mom passed away.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Actually I was at peace.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
We think about so, you know, in real life and
the podcast we talk about we think about all the
takeaways that we learn from other people's lives, and so
hearing about your family life and your mom and your dad,
how did you cause it's really amazing that there was
no anger and that you used all those opportunities to
learn from, become stronger, become better. There was nothing that
weighed you down, But most people have less traumatic circumstances,
(04:46):
are weighed down by family trauma, by disappointment, whatever. There's
all types of reasons or issues that we have in
our families. What is the thing like, how do you
do that? What is the thing that gets you you?
I don't know that spares you from that and that
makes you fuse it as fuel instead of something that
could weigh you down.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I'm not really a well you know, I'm not really
a disappointed person. It's hard. I mean, I'm just yeah,
I'm just like to have good energy.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I've never been like A'm not a complainer.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
No, I don't complain about anything that's raining for what. No,
we'll try what's try it? Right now, I'm complain about
something I can't. I don't know what you can playing?
Can you? Nothing? Really?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Outside of my new assistant, I'm saying, like, I complain
about some of his mistakes sometimes.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
But he's getting better.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
He's getting better, Guys, I don't want to don't be
too hard on him, but I don't really complain about
that either.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I just you know, I just you even said he's
getting better in the process. You're a positive guy.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
A lot of it also came from I didn't have
nobody to complain too. Uh, you know, my dad wasn't
really nobody to complain to it. He'd be like boy
like and then you know my mom wasn't there, so
I'm going to really complain to So I just built this,
built this over time.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
And then what has complaining ever actually solved.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
That's funny because I was just gonna be about to
ask you about this part in the book you talk
about what the streets taught you, and that the streets
taught you. You mentioned this earlier too, and you said this
in sixty minutes, that it taught you about people and characters,
And so I was curious about what it taught you
like about character and is there I don't know, there
are red flags and characters that you look for.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Flags like what.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Insecurity I think people I think in our business, at least,
if someone is too focused on what's only in it
for them, or again going back to how you treat people,
if you're not respecting people that are basically making your
(07:01):
life easier, that's a character flaw. And by the way,
the more successful you become, the better person you should
become too. You got to work on that as well. Like,
if you're going to be successful, be successful in everything.
I just think that just because you get paid a
lot of money and you are a top athlete, don't
(07:22):
mean you get to be less of a person. Yes,
And I think that oftentimes the people around a lot
of the people that we do represent, they're so focused
on what's in it for them that they paint a
picture that becomes detrimental to somebody that they supposed to love.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Don't you think people get addicted to winning too. They
get addicted to success, addicted to so you become successful,
your agency is doing well, then it's like how do
we make it? There is like an addiction that comes
with that to some extent, and some people, I think
then disregard, like you say, all the things that you
care about you're trying to be better at.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Never, I've never sat in success at all because again,
when you read the book, our neighborhood didn't allow us
to get cocky, because if you get cocky, then you
then then people start to notice you. And when people
started to notice you, then they start to to plot.
(08:21):
It's a different dynamic, so I never came with that.
It's just not it's just not in me. I mean,
you may be mad at the leather jacket. I got
onto something that you know, wear some jackets. That's but
that's not definitely you know what I'm saying. Like, so
someone else's perception is not my reality. So I can't
worry about that.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
But the book, first of all, Lucky Me, which is
inspired by this jay Z.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Song, my favorite Jazus. If what is the bar from
there that makes it the hook is?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I mean, the third verse is crazy. The bar, I
mean it's it's I don't know if it's a if
it's a bar. One bar, the one where he goes,
you know guys, he say niggas, niggas see me in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Sorry, Johnny, I love you, but sorry, you're disrupting my
energy right now. Yeah, fall back Johnny the legend, Ny,
But you're not gonna come in here, Johnny, be in
siut of your Johnny being out of your hoodie to
get the right picture, though, I ain't gonna front all right.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Right, let's get the picture. Let me act like you
tell you saying something real because you just but it
was it was very important.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
When he says, niggas see me in the streets and
pretend to be friendly. But I know any type of
success breeze envy. I know in the back of your
mind you're conjuring ways to hend me leave my friends
in the circle pouring out Henny, you know, like when
you dissect that. But Jesus is heaven bound, So how
I'm gonna receive anything? Y'all portray the ground next time,
throw it up, because ain't nothing changed, because even in
(09:55):
my afterlife I saw it up.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Don't grieve for me.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
You know he talks about and he said, as my
art remains like a dark from the speaker to your heart.
Like if you just listen to those bars, that wasn't
what was that ninety seven, We're in twenty twenty three.
It still resonates. But the hook in itself is what
really resonated.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I was told since I was four years old, everything
that glitters ain't God. And now that I've arrived, I
see those true. Some folks close my eyes in the
world so cold, like that's that's real all that's that's
not rapping, that is real life And that's what the
music used to teach us.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So, but I was also being.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Very sarcastic too with the title, because some idiots think, like,
you know, you just meet a guy in the airport
and you build a company because you met somebody in
the airport.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
It don't really work like that.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, I'm sure he's met a lot of friends over
his life, right, I don't have to you.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Have, but I think, you know, just managing the transitions
of life. People have to understand that. To me, life
is all about bad attempts. You know, you're not gonna
hit a home run every time, but you're not even
gonna get on base if you don't get an attempt.
And I think people spend time making decisions for others
(11:13):
that takes away their bad attempts.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
And so.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
If I can't, if I don't get an attempt at
the play, and how am I going to ever get
on base?
Speaker 1 (11:22):
You can for that no attempt Oh oh.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Yeah, oh hell yeah, yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah, But again,
he gave me an opportunity to get up to bat.
I didn't try to hit a home run, by the way,
I didn't even get a chance to back. I was
just happened to be on the team because he didn't
have a role for me. I didn't have no role.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
That's crazy. And he was cutting you in check too,
he's paying you right.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Yeah, I didn't have a role, but it didn't stop
me from playing a role. It didn't stop me because
I knew who I was. I was I was, you know,
And my dad used to always say to me, You're
not gonna always be the boss, Like you gotta understand.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
You're not gonna always be the boss.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And then when I played high school sports, I wasn't
the best player on the team by far, but it
didn't stop me from going to practice every day on time,
giving an effort, helping my teammates get better. It didn't
stop That didn't stop me because once we got out
of that locker room, then I was a start player.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
What's the one thing? The big thing? The big thing? Fight?
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Like everyone has to make a sacrifice in order for
the team to win. Right when the college scouts was coming,
I didn't get I didn't complain because they're not coming this.
I know they're not coming to see me. I ain't
played in six games. They come to see me, then
they gonna they gonna have this job for long, you know.
But but at the end, but I'm also not afraid
(12:52):
to say that right because I know who I am.
But ultimately, you got to know when to jump off
that that that dream train, especially if that dream could
never become a reality. There's a lot of kids chasing
that dream of being the actual talent. And in the
black community, we spend so much time trying to be
the talent that we never build anything.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
A lot of this book, asides from the title and
being inspired by this jay Z song, you talk about
gambling a lot like.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
You're a gamble boring gambling. You are a born gambler.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
That's my first job as was a gambler, shooting dice,
playing cards.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
You have a deck of cards. I shuffled cars, I
got work at the wind.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
If I knew that, if somebody was a real hustler,
they would run to the store right now and get
a deck of you would have them all.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
You would know that. And if I never went nowhere
without my dice or deck of cards, deccor car ever,
So what is the key to good gambling? Is there one.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
New addition made the best song? You gotta be able
to stand the ring. They did you gotta be because
you gotta lose sometimes it's part of the part of that.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Is a mental thing. You know.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Sometimes you can shit a card table and and every
person at that table would be winning in some point
during the card game. It's just a matter of when
you're winning and when the game actually is to determine
the actual winner. Yeah, but it's a it's a mindset,
it's a it's definitely a mental edge to it, for sure.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
The interesting thing I thought about because you go into
detail about this deal, your first big deal, which was bled,
so when you turned down the first big offer that game,
and so he you know he is, how old was he?
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Twenty four? Twenty three, twenty four?
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yes, that wasn't Oh yeah, he wasn't that he was.
He came out when he was nineteen.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
That was its four for years. Oh yeah, yeah, twenty three. Okay,
I read the book. It was like twenty three years old.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, I believe he says twenty four in the book,
but you know, I'm not gonna fact check him.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Well, sixty minutes definitely fact checked, so it might be
twenty four. It was twenty four, So he's twenty four
years old. He gets this big deal. He tells him
the deal came in. He's he's excited.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
He's like, yes, there's you're twenty four and what was
the seven million a year in million years?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Yes, let's take it. And you said, no, let's not
take it. Let's gamble because I believe you should get
what you're worth. That this is a gamble with But
now you're gambling with someone with someone else's life.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
But the thing about it is if you make it
about the money, then it's a gamble. But if you
make it about your value and your worth, then it's
not necessarily a gamble. But I can't get there, and
he doesn't get there without trust. He trusts me, I
trust him. Anyway, that story worked out well for you,
(15:40):
business right, And people don't understand that deal got the
industry's attention in a lot of ways. And because of
the perception of Eric Blessol. He was eighteenth pick in
the draft. He had really never been a starter. And
one thing you leave it out when I talked to
him about risk, the only risks that I was really
(16:03):
worried about was him getting injured.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
And he did, and.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
You're at home thinking, what fuck, that's the last thing
I needed, and he towards meniscus.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
But I'm gonna tell you something we never panied.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
You tell a story about your child's mother, Candice, and
you say that you didn't even know how to really
be in a relationship but love. You said, like, my
dad took care of my mom. I thought if I
took care of her that that was enough. I didn't
understand that there's other work involved in a relationship.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
He didn't know how to be in a relationship.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
No, we were, I mean we were definitely taught wrong
as it pertains to how to love somebody, a significant other.
And also you gotta remember you could be in our community,
not have a car, not have money, but date a
lot of girls and that was like a status thing.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
That was like having a car.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That was like, oh well Hill got a car, but
he got a lot of girls he can dress or
whatever the case may be. And so that became a
goal for people, which is actually working backwards because you're
not necessarily committing. That's why people have commitment issues to
this day, because you're not necessarily committing to the person,
(17:18):
and then you're.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Giving them a little piece of you, just a little bit.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah, but also you're Also there's a there's an aspect
of taking advantage of too, because what they lack you
you now have an abundance because there's this fast paced thing.
So you know, the goals were so small back then.
Hair down your hair costs. You know, you're getting a
quick weave with a bang and the thing and they
(17:44):
put it in the microwave or some shit.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
You know, but but that.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Costs you seventy dollars pay for that.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
This is you thinking you're taking care of women, you.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Know.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Bo when snow comes you realize that was wrong. And
who taught you that? I don't lie.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
I mean, I'm just I'm still learning a lot, but
but no, I just but you know, growing up it
was a thing.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
And I've seen that, you know, throughout and so.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Yeah, and then on top of not being vulnerable, it's
hard to love somebody you're not gonna be vulnerable.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You can't put this wall up every time.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
It's very difficult for you guys to really because you
can be compatible and not committed, and you can be
you know, you can love somebody and not be in
love with them.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
It's you know, it's a big difference.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
And so I had to learn I had to feel
my way through that and as you know, as you
and also there's a maturation process for a man as well,
which men mature very late, if at all.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And you know, if.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Ever, what's the age the audience wants to know, what's
the age that they mature?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Depend on your.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
You know, I'm just saying in terms of like holistically,
you know, it's tough. We deal with a lot. Y'all
think y'all are the only ones that deal with a lot.
We do it a lot too.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Oh please, I'm just saying, I'm just kidding. We do know.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
But today obviously I sit in a different seat of
having kids and you know, just and you're in a relationship. Oh,
I'm definitely in a relationship. Yeah, but I'm saying being respectful. Yeah, no,
have different it's just a different different. But I'm also
forty two years old.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
And the vulnerability, how does that happen? Like do you
just one day think okay? Or does somebody have to
bring that out of you? How does that happen gradually?
That's that's something that.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Are you good at that now or you're still struggling?
Speaker 3 (19:44):
No, I'm a lot better okay, Yeah, I'm better with
a lot of the communication.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I'm better with everything better for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Yeah, well I also had to be open minded to
become better.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
The only the thing I'm curious about it because in
your relationship it was share. Adelle shared with Oprah that
this was a very easy one, and so I just wondered,
from your perspective, how do you get there? How do
you get to be in a relationship that's easy?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Well, I think because I'm in a different space now, yeah,
probably because she's in a different space. Well, so I
think the easiness comes through experience. Though he was experienced
enough hard things than you can recognize easy.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
And willing to change right to some extent.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
She said in her Grammys that you told her not
to cry, and I thought, why, why? What is with
the crying? Is that something that you don't like to do?
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Why did you tell her not to cry? And are
you a person that doesn't like to cry or doesn't
like crying around you?
Speaker 4 (20:41):
No?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
I actually cried last night. You did the first time
in like a long time. Wow, something that's non you know,
happy sixteen minutes it was happy. Yeah, my friends had
a speech and I got emotional for us, not for me.
I got emotional to you. Yeah, I got emotional form.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
You know, just a journey, just a journey. It was.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
It was it was not like a like boohoo, but
it was just it was. But it was just more
so like there is you know that emotion was It
was a good emotion, right. And that's another thing is
I think it's good to be emotional sometimes.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Look at you crying in front of friends of public.
It was a small room.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
It was a small room, so crying publicly would be
would be probably you don't like to see that because
you said you told her when she went up there,
she said, rich told me not to cry if I want.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Oh, no, that that's because you just cry about every Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
That's really cute. That's really cute.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
It's like a cat walking like what the.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
What is? Sometimes we're more sensitive as women sometimes.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Everything and you accomplished and been through. It's a smart question.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Do you feel a whole at what point in your
life did you real.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
M that's the one part question. No, I don't feel whole.
I feel I have a lot. It's a great question.
The way it is a great question. I have so much.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I haven't done a lot, you know in retrospect, so
at least I don't feel that way. I feel like
it's so much room for growth. But in terms of
do I feel whole, No, I don't. I don't necessarily
feel whole. Do I feel inspired and driven still and
(22:35):
still in the moment? Yeah, I'm still in the moment
for sure.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
When if you grew out of the environce that you
grew correct, what did you do in order to stay
motivated with all the chaos that was kind of going
around in your life?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Like what was it?
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And it was like, Okay, I'm going to stay motivated
and continue to thrive to success.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
What would you What did you do?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
I stayed true to myself, you know, I didn't try
to fit in for the sake of fitting in. I
found people that we had like minded interests, but also
had some sense with the interest, you know, just playing
common sense and kind of I had great friends growing
I didn't really hang with like slept rock type of people,
(23:18):
and it helped me. It really helped me not fully
block out the noise because it's right in your face.
But we also didn't do stuff just for the sake
of doing it, if that makes sense, And so I
was always into sports. I was always in the fashion
I was always I wasn't a real raw ride type
of person. I'm still not that, and so because of
(23:39):
that and in a lot of ways, it saved me
from situations. So definitely one hundred percent. Yeah, the same
by the way, the same people then, it's the same
people now, at least the ones that's still here.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yeah, I always say that. I always say that to
my kids too. The wrong people we talked about that
in the poddle of time. The wrong people in your
circle could literally be the difference in your life, could
literally ruin your life.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Or a lot of it comes with you knowing who
you are too and not feeling the need to have
to impress somebody or or gain somebody else's well I
would I would say, they're they're validation. And if you
look back on it, the people a lot of people
look for people's validation and they're not even valid.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Yeah, especially at this time, it's a weird thing.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I'm like, why would you be looking for their validation
and their ticket isn't even punch Like it's a weird dynamic.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
But whatever. Oh yeah, we asked that every episode. Thank
you for the reminder my love. Oh how happy? I'm honest. No,
we do this every episode.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Usually it's my introduction to conversation because it opens up
why your number is what it is. But on the
scale of one to ten, because we use this as
a check in, I said, hey, man, how are you?
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I'm fine.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Instead of that, you ask your friends or you ask
people you care about on a scale of one to ten. Today,
right now, how happy are you? I asked Evan that
when I walked in today, you told me what today?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
You are seven?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Seven and a half today I said I was six
because I was annoyed. No, I'm definitely up to eight
and a half nine now Rich has lifted me up today.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Yeah, I would say. I would say a nine.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Really, yeah, And the only reason why I'm not at
ten is because there's so many you know, I'm just
a driven person. So I would sound crazy to myself
and I'm like, oh, just then I would be whole,
like he's said. Never then I would be contradicting myself.
So that lets you know I'm not condicting myself. No,
(25:43):
I would say a nine. I'm in a great space, like.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
All day or just or just today or always all day? Yeah, always.
Is that a constant state for you? Nine? No, can't
be a nine constant thing like holistically, like every day
you're at a nine of I'm happy.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
Today at some point in time. Yeah, yeah, I mean
it might dip depending on what happened somebody, you know.
But but I don't really let people interfare with my happiness.
I worked too hard to get here. I should I did.
Yeah nine wow, Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Mean, but don't get me wrong, I'm human.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
So if it could dip to like, it's not dipping
past six, but I'll play within that six to nine space.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Now. I do get pissed off that dumb ship. You know.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
That's the only thing that really really pisses me off.
Everything else is pretty motivated. But like when you do,
it's like, yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Not myself doing today? Yeah, not that for you? Yeah, true? Sorry,
what do.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
We got more rushes I have to pick up? No,
we could do it after it's blast. We could do
like two more.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
I'm gonna sign the books too, if it's oh amazing.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Yeah, Hi, sure, it's a small intimate room.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
You don't need to.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Mic thanks for being here, my name even pay you
all mess. I want to know what.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Is your morning?
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Routine or some spiritual practices or tangible tactics that we
can use implement in our daily lives to just keep
us sustaining that motivation.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
And moments move forward.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Well, I have a new morning routine. It's a new
morning routine, not my workout. I work out every morning.
I get up very early, though, like five in the morning.
I get up at like five, yeah, sometimes four thirty.
Between four thirty and five, I get up, but I
work out at seven thirty. And then of late, I
get into sunda, as my friend Bob would say, sauna,
(27:58):
and then I get in the cold, which I just
started doing that. I wouldn't necessarily say, jump right into that.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
That's tough. I did. I did. I was at vv's house.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
I did thirty four degrees two twenty eight in asana
and thirty four degrees in the cold. It was what
it does for man ouch. No, I'm saying, yeah, that
is that was that was crazy. It's not that and
my house is not that cold like that. But that
was some That was crazy. But but I did it though,
(28:31):
and I didn't think I was going to do it.
But it just tells you how strong the mind is.
And by the turn. The third time, I because we
did this three times hot cold hot. By the third time,
I was put my whole face in it at thirty
four degrees.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
So that was really but.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
I felt amazing, So I started I kept doing it,
so I do do that, and then after that is
zoom nation.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
After that it's not zoom nation.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
Everything is a damn zoom sure, And you know, in
a good way. And we had a lot of internal
meetings and you you know you have.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
I was gonna ask you something about what she said
about that, because you talk about discipline a lot in
the book too. What is the Is there something in
your head that because we all tell ourselves things. What
is the story we tell ourselves to get whatever done?
When you when you're managing that discipline that you have,
is there something that you tell yourself? Is there a
trick to the discipline?
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Is there? Well?
Speaker 3 (29:23):
When I when I used to so the discipline really
comes from dice shooting, like.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
I was looking for my son thing my son to
take away. It's not I wasn't. That's what I'm gonna
get to it though.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
It's like so I used to practice the same shot
over and over and it's no different than somebody be
in the backyard going hi or three two one and
he hits the shot. I did that with dice, just
over and over and over again. If I got on
punishment didn't matter. I would just practice more and whatever.
And then it led to obviously, you know, I did
(29:59):
the same thing jump shooting. The discipline also comes within
the willingness too, because you have to be willing to
be disciplined or to discipline yourself, and then you and
then you just compound those habits and if you practice
doing things the right way, they become routine.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
I just think the words sometimes the words we tell
ourselves help us, like if I'm off track, like you say,
off my square, yeah, sometimes, or if I if things
are not going right, I'll tell myself, uh, you're maybe
you're doing it for yourself too much.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Maybe maybe how do you put it out? How do
you put that energy outword? How do you serve?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
How do you so I'll take it out of the ego,
take it out of coming inside for me, like something
that I want, I want that, I want that to
be mine. I want to conquer that, and then it
doesn't happen. Then what do you tell yourself to keep going.
The thing sometimes I tell myself to keep going is
it's not about you get out the way, because you.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Know what I mean, there's no room for complacency. I
try not to ever get complacent ever.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
That's good. Yeah, good practices, and you've implemented.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
For your thing.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
No, I've been trying to meditate a little bit here. Yeah,
I did a few times. It was actually good. No phone,
no nothing, just no TV on or nothing, just for
like twenty minutes to start today. I've done that a
few times.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
It's good.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Works out, okay. I mean, you know, it's just hard
to do all the time.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
But it was good. Good, it was good. It's good.
I should try. I'm gonna try more often. It's gotta
be good. There's nothing that bad that could come out
of that.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
And I'm just saying, but there's something you could do,
like you know, yeah, it's just like a word and
you just yeah, but it was good. Oh my god,
I don't know why I had to start. Is CJ
still here?
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Can I tell this story about us being at that
house the other day and him telling us the thing
that you that he gave you. You know what I'm
talking about can I share that? It would be weird
if you said no. Right, I'm putting on the spot.
I took young CJ. Here.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
This is CJ.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Wallace, Christopher wall Okay, we're in Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Home, you know what I mean? G forever in Brooklyn.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
So we were having a conversation with somebody and he
was asking him about what he wanted to do. We
were talking to Tracy Morgan because he's acting. Also he's
actually a really good actor. Anybody has a lot of
things he wants to do. So Tracy Morgan asked him,
so what do you so, what do you want to do?
He's like, oh, this fashion and art, I'm doing art
and I got the acting and I got you ran
down like ten things Tracy.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
You know, Tracey is crazy in a good way. He
was like, you can't do all that shit.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
You gotta do one thing and master that and then
you could go do whatever else you want to do.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
But what are you gonna master? You got to pick
the one thing to master it. And I don't know
if you needed to hear that, but when he said
it to you, it resonated for me. I was like,
oh shit, that's actually really good because.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
That was also said to me, was it yeah, this
might have been Was it Tracy Morgan?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Was that it kid?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
No, it was Maverick said it to me. It might
have been two thousand and six. He was like, bro,
you good at every you one person. I know that
you're good at every literally good at everything. But you
got to pick one thing and you will be great
at that mm because we was we was doing our
new offices in Cleveland or something, and we just you know,
we talk all the time, and we lived together.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
We talked even to this day. We talk all the time.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
But he said that to me because you know, I
was coming in and used to hustling.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
So you're doing it all. We get all.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
I mean if you yeah, why not you know. And
so he's like, yeah, but pick be great at something.
If you if you chose one thing, you would be.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Great at it. That's what he said to me. So
he was right, and so I took that.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
And but you know, again you talk about having real friends,
you know, And it was his willingness to say it
and my willingness to be open minded and not so
into myself to listen.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
And that's the approach I took.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Bar Well, you got greatness. And you were saying before
you wanted to uh impact. Yeah, I feel like the
book will impact. I feel the RUP was impacted today
but was great.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Sure. Thank you guys so much for everything, for your time.
You appreciate me. You have a sharp You're gonna sign
some books. Yeah, I'm just gonna sign it right here.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Really, guys, really be on today though. I really encourage
you to take time. I know we all have busy lives,
but don't just have the book on your shelf.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Really read it.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
There's a lot of gems in there. There's a lot
of takeaways. It's a beautiful story. And thank you rich
today so much for I appreciate we couldn't you know what,
we actually could have done a podcast because have been dope.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Now I'm not now, I'm not afraid. We talked about
it later
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